Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

22 ^ Jubilee^ Premiere Week-Long Party All all-out community celebration for one week highlighted the recent world premiere of Lippert Productions' "Square Dance Jubilee" in Fresno, Calif. Mayor Gordon C. Dunn made it official by proclaiming the week as "City of Fresno Square Dance Week." First-night showing of the variety musical took place at the Esquire. Starlite and Motor-In theatres. Radio appearances and interviews featuring Les Gotcher, champion square dance caller, helped to maintain interest and enthusiasm. There were broadcasts from the three theatre's stages; 15-minute morning and afternoon radio interviews ; an "on the street" interview with Gotcher in connection with Community Chest street dancing ; two interviews on the "Lunch at Zombie Village" program, and a radio description of street dancing in front of the theatres. First ticket to the premiere was presented to Mayor Dunn, and pictures of His Honor signing the "Square Dance" proclamation were prominently displayed in the theatres in advance of the premiere. There were numerous promotional tieups. Merchants' window displays utilized stills. Shoe stores featured square dance shoes and western boots. Music stores cooperated with western record specials. Dress shops advertised square dance dresses, and there were displays of farm material in one store. Wire recorders and phonographs were displayed in the theatres, and four-minute recordings were made for Driveins to take the place of trailers. Books on how to square dance were distributed to members of the Folk Dance Council within a 25-mile radius of Fresno and to school kids. U-l to World Premiere 3 Films in Jan.-Feb, January and t'ebruary will embrace the world premieres of three Universal-International productions, "South Sea Sinner," "Francis" and "The Kid from Texas." The company's studio publicity director, Al Horwits, planed out Sunday for St. Louis to complete arrangements for the debut there of "South Sea Sinner. National Exploitation Director Charles Simonelli and Midwest Exploiteer Ben Katz will join Horwits in St. Louis. Simonelli and Horwits will then go to New Orleans to confer with David Stern, author of the novel, "Francis," on arrangements for the premiere there of his screen adaptation. Their next port of call will be Dallas where "The Kid from Texas," will have its debut. Horwits will then proceed to Washington and New York to confer on future openings of U-I pictures before returning to the coast studio. Military Parade Marks 'Battleground' Premiere A full scale military dress parade, first on Hollywood Boulevard since the end of World War II, preceded the West Coast premjcre of MGM's "Battleground" at the Egyptian Theatre on Thursday night. The marching column of 600 men was headed by a 100-piece Army Band and color guard, and was reviewed in front of the theatre by ranking officers representing the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force, guests of Louis B. Mayer and Dore Schary. The premiere was attended by a distinguished audience, including, representatives of the four armed services, heads of civic and state organizations, and leaders and stars of the motion picture industry. WEATHER WINS. The damsel above was supposed to wear lighter attire in Manager Eddie Miller's ballyhoo stunt for Paramount's "My Friend Irma." But, baby, it was cold outside when playdate arrived, hence the fur coat. Just the same, the stunt drew attention to the shov/ing of the film at the Center Theatre in Buffalo.— BUF. 3 Fox Premieres For the Holidays (Continued from Page 18) the Caravel, famous marine pageant, which takes place on Biscayne Bay. On December 30 Miss Townsend will head a huge parade to the Miami Theatre where her picture premieres. She will be accompanied by the Orange Bowl Queen and take part in numerous radio interviews at the theatre. She wifl make a number of personal appearances at the Miami as well as the Miracle and Lincoln theatres, which are playing day-and-date in the city. She will also take part in other activities : guest of honor at the exclusive Surf Club Ball ; Grand Marshal of the gigantic New Year's Eve Parade ; and presentation of the football in the Orange Bowl game to the two captains of the teams engaged in the gridiron battle. "Prince of Foxes" will have its American premiere Dec. 22 at the Roxy in New York under the sponsorship of the United Hospital Fund. "Twelve O'Clock High" will open in Los .A.ngeles late next month, with plans for the opening currently being set on the picture. Nurses to March fcr Toxes' Hospital Benefit A parade of .'\rmy, Navy and civilian metropolitan hospital nurses will precede the gala benefit performance of "Prince of Foxes" at the Roxy Theatre Dec. 22 for the LTnited Hospital Fund. The nurses will lead a line of march from the island at Times Square to the doors of the Roxy, where kleig lights, radio broadcasts and television coverage will herald the American premiere of the 20th Century-Fox film starring Tyrone Power, Wanda Hendrix and Orson Welles. The nurses will be welcomed by several Hollywood actors and actresses in the Roxy lounge. All proceeds from the initial showing of the picture will go toward the support of New York's 86 voluntary hospital members of the United Hospital Fund. The group is now conducting a campaign to raise $3,367,000. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, December 3, 1949 I.M.P.S. Member Report Clough Promotes Sane Halloween I.M.P.S. Member H. S. Clough, who manages the Chimes Theatre in Oakland, Calif., came in for some well-deserved publicity on his excellent work in promoting a sane Halloween among the children on College Avenue and vicinity. "Mr. Clough, manager of the Chimes Theatre," said a front-page account of the evenings activities in the Claremont Press of Oakland, "served as general chairman of the Club's (College Avenue Commercial Club) Halloween committee, and upon him devolved the major responsibility of working out details of the big Fete." He was aided in the work by the club's president, Henry Morrill. For a year. Brother Clough reports, he had been trying to get the community together on a campaign, following the lines for a sane Halloween he had tried out five years ago at the Lorin Theatre, and this year saw the fruition of his labors. Effectively aided by the College .\venue Commercial Club, he arranged with merchants to have 300 of their windows calcimined with pictures of Halloween ghosts and goblins, pumpkins, etc., by students of the Technical and Junior high schools. Actually but 276 of the 300 windows received the festive decorations, but many of the artists won one of the 40 l)rizes which the merchants had contributed. The Claremont Press devoted an entire column on its front page to the crowds which thronged the streets to view the paintings and the costume parade that followed. It devoted four columns on the same page to a picture of four girls painting two windows and a two-column cut to the junior high winner. Children in Parade Unable to get a band to head the parade. Brother Clough decided late in the afternoon to use a sound truck instead. The parade started, with about 15 children in costume following the truck. They called upon others to join them and by the time the procession had covered four blocks the paraders had lengthened out to cover two blocks. There followed dancing in the streets for which the music was furnished by a public address system. Public and individual comment indicated that the affair was highly successful. "I hope next year," says Brother Clough, "to have a bigger and better Halloween Festival." With his energy and friendly civic standing in the community there is no doubt that it will be bigger and better. 'Samson' Canadian Premiere Dec. 28 Canadian premiere of Paramount's "Samson and Delilah'" will be held Dec. 28 at the Victoria Theatre, Toronto, with government dignitaries, leading figures of the press, radio and ])ulpit, stars and exhibitors in attendance. It will be an invitational affair. A campaign similar to that under vi'ay in New York for the world premiere of the Cecil B. DeMille Technicolor film on Dec. 21 at the Paramount and Rivoli theatres, will be launched in Toronto. Max E. Youngstein, Paramount national advertising, publicity and exploitation director, was in Toronto recently laying plans for the premiere with Gordon Lightstone, the company's Canadian general sales manager, and J. J. Fitzgibbon, president of Famous Players Canadian.